Spectrum channel sharing system

ABSTRACT

A spectrum channel sharing system may coordinate a shared usage of one or more spectrum channels between a first communication system and a second communication system. The first communication system may transmit a request to the second communication system to clear communication traffic associated with the second communication system from a spectrum channel. The first communication system may then initiate a communication session on the spectrum channel after the communication traffic associated with the second communication system has been at least partially cleared from the spectrum channel.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

This application relates to communication systems and, moreparticularly, to sharing spectrum channels.

2. Related Art

In communication systems, spectrum assignments are typically static withonly a single user, technology, system, or service being licensed toexclusively use a spectrum channel in a specific geographic area. Forexample, a television channel may be assigned to a broadcasterexclusively for its broadcast services and no other service may use thatchannel in the broadcaster's assigned area. This static model isadequate when there are more available channels than different usersdesiring channel assignments. However, as the number of spectrum usershas grown over the years, there are often more users now than availableunique spectrum assignments, thus creating a spectrum shortage.

In some scenarios, the user assigned to a spectrum channel may notutilize the channel in every location or at all times throughout the dayor night. During the idle times, or beyond the user's applicationservice range, the assigned spectrum channel goes unused. Thus, the useof these static channel assignments may result in at least a portion ofthe available spectrum being idle at various times or in various areas.These idle spectrum situations lower the overall level of spectrumutilization.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The system may be better understood with reference to the followingdrawings and description. The components in the figures are notnecessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustratingthe principles of the disclosure. Moreover, in the figures, likereference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout thedifferent views.

FIG. 1 illustrates a system for sharing a spectrum channel betweenmultiple communication systems.

FIG. 2 illustrates multiple communication systems with non-overlappingareas of operation.

FIG. 3 illustrates multiple communication systems with overlapping areasof operation.

FIG. 4 illustrates one implementation of a network for communicatingbetween a co-system and an alternate network.

FIG. 5 illustrates another implementation of a network for communicatingbetween a co-system and an alternate network.

FIG. 6 illustrates a channel management system for a first communicationsystem.

FIG. 7 illustrates a channel management system for a secondcommunication system.

FIG. 8 illustrates a mobile device programmed with a channel sharingapplication.

FIG. 9 illustrates a first channel sharing message exchange betweencommunication systems.

FIG. 10 illustrates a second channel sharing message exchange betweencommunication systems.

FIG. 11 illustrates a third channel sharing message exchange betweencommunication systems.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A spectrum channel sharing system may coordinate a shared usage of oneor more spectrum channels between multiple systems. By sharing aspectrum channel between multiple different users, the system mayalleviate spectrum shortage issues and improve the utilization of idlespectrum. In such a system, multiple users or services with similar ordissimilar technologies may be able to use the same bands or channels incommon locations or overlapping areas. To manage the shared usage, thesystem provides for communication between the multiple spectrum users todynamically orchestrate the sharing of the spectrum channels among theirdifferent services.

The spectrum channel sharing system provides a way for two or morespectrum users, systems, or different radio access technologies todynamically coordinate their usage of a common set of spectrum channels.In one implementation, the spectrum channel sharing system manages theuse of one or more spectrum channels (also referred to herein as a“channel set”) between a “co-system” and an “alternate” network. Theco-system may be considered the owner or licensee of the spectrumchannel(s) and the party who is allowing the other service or party touse the co-system's assigned spectrum channel(s). The co-system mayoperate one or more communication systems, sensor systems, radiosondes,low Earth orbit satellites, surveillance, weather RADAR systems, orother radio frequency systems that do not require exclusive usage of theassigned spectrum channel(s) in all situations. The alternate networkmay be considered the secondary service that is permitted to use theco-system's assigned spectrum channel(s) when the channel(s) are notbeing exclusively used by the co-system. The alternate network may be amobile telephone network or other communication system that couldutilize additional spectrum channels when the channels are available.The alternate network may be the system that dynamically changes its useof a spectrum channel to accommodate the co-system's usage of thespectrum channel. In one implementation, a mobile network is thealternate network, such as a 3GPP network. In other implementations, thealternate network could be any other system that is sharing the spectrumwith the co-system. For example, in these implementations, the alternatenetwork could be a meteorological service, a RADAR station, publicsafety mobile service, or satellite service.

In some implementations, the channel sharing system may enable existingequipment to be utilized and does not require, for example, theco-system to utilize the technology or communication protocols of thealternate network system to become part of the shared or coordinatedspectrum operations, which may reduce the cost of implementing thechannel sharing operations between systems. In some implementations, thetwo system users of the shared channel utilize different network accesstechnologies that are not compatible to operate on the same channel atthe same time.

In one implementation, the co-system may be a system that uses one ormore radio frequency channels assigned for meteorological use byradiosondes (e.g., weather balloons). In radiosonde systems, thechannels (in the 1675-1683 MHz band in the US and Canada) are allocatedto the meteorological service exclusively even though the measurementsare typically only made twice a day (at 06:00 and 18:00 UTC) for lessthan an hour. The locations of the radiosonde launches are typicallylocated away from major urban centers and the trajectory of radiosondesusually carries them away from populated areas. The duration of theradiosonde flight is usually 15-20 minutes, although in somecircumstances the duration may be up to an hour. In the event that theradiosonde fails to deploy, a further launch may be initiated. It wouldbe advantageous to be able to share the radio frequency channel(s)(i.e., one or more spectrum channels) assigned to the radiosonde withother services during the times when the radiosonde applications are notusing the assigned channels, at locations where the radiosondeapplications are not using the assigned channels, and/or in another waythat does not interfere with the planned radiosonde operation.

In another implementation, the co-system may be a system that usessatellite platforms in low Earth orbits that place satellites aboveground stations or specific areas of terrain periodically for shortintervals of time. The locations and times of the satellite's operationon the ground are at intervals determined by the satellite's orbit andantenna configuration. In some cases, satellites do not make use oftheir assigned radio system channels on every pass over a groundlocation. Examples of such satellite systems include meteorologicalsatellites that are returning weather sensor information, RADARsatellites that are imaging the ground, communications or observingsatellites that send downlink information upon request or othersatellites such as the Space Station that only communicate withdesignated ground stations. It would be advantageous to be able to sharethe satellite system's assigned channels with other services and/orparties during the times when the satellite applications are not usingthe assigned channels, at locations where the satellite applications arenot using the assigned channels, and/or in another way that does notinterfere with the planned satellite operation.

In yet another implementation, the co-system may be a system that usesRADAR transmitters located on the ground. These systems may utilizetheir channels in limited areas and at limited times. For example,costal maritime surveillance RADARs generally only utilize theirchannels over water areas and not the surrounding land, although someinland river surveillance RADARs do cover adjacent shore land areas.Many of the weather surveillance RADARs are also on a very slow scanrate, sometimes taking up to a half hour to complete a full scan. Forthese and other RADAR systems the assigned channels are unused inlocations and times that are outside the range or beam pattern of theRADAR system's scanning operations. It would be advantageous to be ableto share the RADAR's assigned channels with other services during thetimes when the RADAR applications are not using the assigned channels,at locations where the RADAR applications are not using the assignedchannels, and/or in another way that does not interfere with the plannedRADAR operation.

In still another implementation, the co-system may be a point-to-pointsystem that uses fixed station locations that only make use of theassigned spectrum channel set along the path between the two fixedstations. Such point-to-point communications systems often make use ofnarrow-beam antennas that confine the usage of a channel set to the beampath between the stations. Outside the range of the beam path thechannel set is unused. It would be advantageous to be able to share thecommunication link's assigned radio frequency channels (e.g., channelset) with other services and/or parties during the times when thepoint-to-point system is not using the assigned channels, at locationswhere the point-to-point system is not using the assigned channels,and/or in another way that does not interfere with the plannedpoint-to-point system operation.

FIG. 1 illustrates a system for sharing a communication channel betweena first communication system 102 and a second communication system 106through a network connection 104. The system enables the firstcommunication system 102 and the second communication system 106 tocoordinate the shared usage of the communication channel between thecommunication systems 102 and 106. The first communication system 102includes a channel management sub-system 108 and a channel usagesub-system 110. Similarly, the second communication system 106 includesa channel management sub-system 112 and a channel usage sub-system 114.

During operation, the channel management sub-system 108 of the firstcommunication system 102 may inform (or notify) the channel managementsub-system 112 of the second communication system 106 that that thechannel usage sub-system 110 of the first communication system 102 isplanning an operation that may use the one or more channels that arebeing shared between the systems. In other words, the channel setassigned to the communication system 102 (i.e., the co-system in thepresent example) is being utilized by the second communication system106 (i.e., the alternate network). In response to this notification, thechannel management sub-system 112 of the second communication system 106may initiate a process to clear (i.e., remove traffic or otherwiseadjust one or more channel aspects to reduce or eliminate conflict)communication traffic on the affected spectrum channels (i.e., one ormore of the assigned communication channels which the communicationsystem 102 requires for the planned operation and that the communicationsystem 106 is currently using). For example, the channel managementsub-system 112 may hand over active traffic being transmitted on theaffected channel(s) to other radio frequency channels. The channelmanagement sub-system 112 may also block (or buffer) further usage ofthe affected channel(s) by the second communication system 106 in theaffected areas (i.e., the areas in which the communication system 102requires usage of the affected channels for the planned operation).

One or more of the channel management sub-systems 108 and 112 maydetermine which radio frequency channels of a channel set may beaffected by a planned operation of one of the communication systems 102or 106 by comparing locations of the equipment of the firstcommunication system 102 with locations of the equipment of the secondcommunication system 106. Additionally, the affected time period (i.e.,the time period in which the communication system 102 requires usage ofthe affected channels for the planned operation) may be determined bycomparing the time of operation of the equipment of the firstcommunication system 102 with the time of operation of the secondcommunication system 106. The systems may also determine whether theequipment of the second communication system 106 is otherwise operatingin a mode that utilizes a set of channel attributes which will notinterfere with the equipment of the first communication system 102. Forexample, the second communication system 106 may be operating at a powerlevel on the assigned channel set that will not interfere with theplanned operations of the first communication system 102. As anotherexample, the second communication system 106 may be operating using asignal that is orthogonal to the signaling utilized on an channelassigned to the first communication system 102 (e.g., through use of adifferent spreading code, time slot or sub-carrier assignment).Alternatively, the second communication system 106 may retransmit, onthe assigned channel set, the signals of the first communication system102, in addition to its own signals, to preserve the reception of thesignals from the first communication system 102 at nearby receivers ofthe first communication system 102.

Once the affected channels have been sufficiently prepared for use bythe channel usage sub-system 110 of the first communication system 102,the second communication system 106 may confirm to the firstcommunication system 102 that the affected radio frequency channel isclear of traffic. The first communication system 102 may then launch itsoperation and initiate a communication session on the shared channelwithout interference from traffic of the second communication system106. After the communication session of the first communication system102 is complete, the channel management sub-system 108 of the firstcommunication system 102 may then inform the channel managementsub-system 112 of the second communication system 106 that thecommunication session is complete. The second communication system 106may then unblock the affected radio frequency channel and return tousing the affected channel for communication traffic (e.g., wirelessmobile telephone or data services) of the second communication system106.

By using the communication path through the network 104 to exchangeinformation about channel usage between the communication systems 102and 104, the multiple different systems may share the same spectrum andradio frequency channel assignments without radio interference to eitherservice. This channel sharing system may be utilized in someimplementations without a need to change the primary equipment of therespective communication systems. As one example, in someimplementations, a spectrum channel may be shared without requiring thefirst communication system 102 to modify its communication sessiontechnology to conform to the communication session technology of thesecond communication system 106 (e.g., the first communication system102 need not use a mobile radio compliant with the protocols of thesecond communication system 106). As another example, in someimplementations, the management of the channel sharing system may useexisting commands of the second communication system 106 (e.g.,maintenance-busy commands) to control channel usage at the secondcommunication system 106.

FIG. 2 illustrates communication systems with some non-overlapping areasof operation. The configuration of FIG. 2 shows static spectrumassignments with separated operating areas and spectrum channel setassignments. The operating areas include service area 202, service area204, and service area 206. In this illustration of static assignments,service area 202 includes transceivers 208 and 210 that are assigned toa spectrum channel set 1 (where the set may include one or more channelsfor uplink and/or downlink, for example a channel set pair for uplinkand downlink) for their exclusive communication use within thedesignated area. Similarly, service area 204 includes a transceiver 212that is assigned spectrum channel set 2 for exclusive use forcommunication within service area 204 (e.g. to communicate with devicesAT1 and AT2). Additionally, service area 206 includes a transceiver 214that is assigned spectrum channel set 1 for exclusive use forcommunication within service area 206 (e.g. to communicate with devicesAT3 and AT4). In this example static arrangement, service area 202 isdistinct and separate from service areas 204 and 206. Thus, the serviceoperating in service area 206 may reuse channel set 1 as it is in adifferent area than the service operating in service area 202. Asservice areas 204 and 206 overlap, they are assigned the distinctspectrum channel sets 1 and 2.

FIG. 3 illustrates multiple communication systems with overlapping areasof operation. FIG. 3 shows a hole 302 created within service area 304allowing for a shared usage of a channel set among multiplecommunication systems within a geographical area common to the multiplecommunication systems (i.e., a geographic area within communicationrange of the multiple communication systems). For example, the channelsharing system may allow Service A to utilize channel set 1 within thehole 302 in the service area 304 used by Service C, which also utilizeschannel set 1. The hole 302 is dynamically created, for example, byService C (i.e., the alternate network) on the occasion of the need fortransceivers 306 and 308 (i.e., Service A) to communicate. In otherwords, Service C is enabled to use the channel set assigned to Service Aand, upon a need by the Service A system (i.e., the co-system) to usethe channel set for transmission, the affected channel(s) of theassigned channel set within the common geographic area is cleared byService C (i.e., the alternate system) to form the hole 302 for use byService A. Such an example application may be communications between twofixed communications sites, or between a sensor and a receiving site. A“hole” may be identified and created based on characteristics of theplanned operation of Service A, characteristics of the channel usage byService C, or characteristics of both the planned operation of Service Aand the channel usage by Service C. For example, the hole may bedynamically created based on any combination of characteristics of aplanned operation and/or a channel usage, such as time of the plannedoperation, duration of the planned operation, geographical locationassociated with the planned operation (e.g., transmitter and/or receiverlocation of the components in the co-system), geographical locationassociated with the current channel usage (e.g., transmitter and/orreceiver location of the components in the alternate system), physicallayer effects, transmission power associated with one or more of thesystems, beam forming direction associated with one or more of thesystems, frequency offset associated with one or more of the systems,and/or the like.

As one example, the system of FIG. 3 enables co-service equipment, suchas meteorological radiosondes (Service A), to share radio frequencychannels with an alternate network, such as a mobile communicationsnetwork (Service C). Alternatively, the configuration of FIG. 3 issimilarly applicable to other technology or service sharingcommunication spectrum, including, for example, mobile services withgeneral sensor systems, satellite platforms, RADAR systems, fixed linkcommunication systems, other mobile systems, and combinations ofcellular mobile technologies, such as GSM/EDGE/UMTS/LTE under 3GPP, orCDMA2000 under 3GPP2, IEEE Wireless LAN 802.11 standards, WiMAX, PPDR(Public Preparedness and Disaster Relief, such as radio systems utilizedby public safety services), P25, or TETRA (Terrestrial Trunked Radio,such as professional mobile radio for public safety services).

In the implementation of FIG. 3, transceiver 308 may be the fixedradiosonde receiver and transceiver 306 may be the radiosonde balloon orother mobile platform. The area of the hole 302 may be the geographicarea between the two transceivers 306 and 308. The radiosondeapplication apparatus (e.g., Service A) may include a facility for aco-service operator (e.g., a radiosonde operator) to communicate to themobile network (e.g., Service C) with information associated with animpending usage of the spectrum and the associated location and channelset and for the two services to coordinate their activity.

In RADAR applications, the fixed transceiver 308 (e.g., the “RADAR”installation) may be at a single location, or it may include multiplelocations with the transmitter and receiver locations separated by somedistance. The transceiver 306 shown in FIG. 3 may not be a physicaltransmitting device in some implementations (e.g., in a RADARapplication), but rather may represent something that causes a signalreflection, such as the environment or some other object (e.g.,geography, weather, vehicle, aircraft, vessel, or another object that isa passive reflector or which may also contain a transponder).

In satellite applications, the transceiver 308 may be the satelliteground receiving/transmitter site, and the transceiver 306 may be theorbiting satellite. In some cases there may be multiple ground stationsservicing, or being serviced, by a single satellite or a fleet(“constellation”) of satellites.

FIG. 4 illustrates one implementation of a network for communicatingbetween a co-system and an alternate network. FIG. 4 illustrates ascenario that enables sharing of a spectrum channel between a mobilenetwork system and a sensor apparatus, such as a radiosonde. While thisscenario is illustrated in the context of a mobile sensor such as aballoon lifted radiosonde for weather measurements, the scenario andmethod are equally applicable to coordinating static (fixed) or mobileradio systems used for other measurements, RADAR, sensing, orcommunications operations.

The alternate network mobile system includes the base stations 402, 404,and 406 that are connected (e.g., “backhaul”) via a communicationsnetwork to mobile network facilities that may include a “radio networkcontroller” (RNC) 408 and other network administration facilities. TheRNC 408 or other network facilities include the capability to monitorand alter the channels of operation of the mobile service. The mobilenetwork may also include a channel sharing application 410, such as anapplication running at a channel management server that manages thechannel sharing arrangement with the co-system network. In someimplementations, the channel sharing application is part of thealternate network. In other implementations, the channel sharingapplication of the alternate network is supplemented by a channelsharing application in the co-system network. In still otherimplementations, the channel sharing application is part of theco-system network only. As one example, the channel sharing applicationmay reside in a user terminal (System Operator Controller—“SOC”) thatmay be used by the co-system operator to communicate with the alternatenetwork mobile system, using aspects of the communications network, toindicate the need for dynamic channel sharing. The SOC is the equipmentthat the co-system operator technicians may use to make known theircurrent requirements for their spectrum use. The radiosonde operator,for example, uses the SOC to input the needed channels, times, andaffected areas for the next radiosonde launch. A video surveillanceoperator would use the SOC to input the needed channels, times, andaffected areas for the next surveillance mission. A SOC may be anintegral part of the co-system equipment/network or it may be a separatesystem.

In some instances, the channel sharing application may issue commands tothe RNC or eNodeB (Evolved Node B) or other mobile network equipment toenable or disable radio frequency channel usage in the mobile network.Communication from the channel sharing application with the RNC oreNodeB may be via the co-system OAM (Operations, administration, andmanagement) facility. Alternatively, the channel sharing application mayformat its instructions to communicate directly with the RNC or eNodeBusing the data communications facilities or internal communicationschannels of the co-system network. The channel management functionalitymay be an aspect of the maintenance operations server for the network.In some embodiments, the co-system channel sharing application maycommunicate with a channel sharing application in the alternate networkin order to select appropriate channels to be affected for example, toenable the largest possible contiguous bandwidth to be aggregated.

Within the mobile network coverage area of the base stations 402, 404,and 406 there may be handsets (e.g. AT1, AT2, AT3) communicating withother users or services via the communications network and the basestations 402, 404, and 406 using their assigned radio channels. Theradio frequency channels assigned to the mobile system may overlap someor all of the channel assignments for the co-system (e.g., such as theradiosonde sensors).

Within the alternate network's coverage area may be a co-systemtransceiver site where other system equipment is operated and theirsignals received. The co-system may include transceivers 410 and 412.The co-system operation area may be, for example, where radiosondes arelaunched using their attached balloons and the radiosonde signals arereceived (e.g., transceiver 412). The radio signals from the radiosondes(e.g., transceiver 410) are received at the radiosonde transceiverstation typically using a high gain directional antenna that tracks theradiosonde's path as it ascends into the atmosphere and reports theweather conditions. In some instances, the radiosonde station may alsotransmit signals to the radiosonde that are used for tracking and rangemeasurements. The co-system site may also include a System OperatorCommunicator (SOC) that is used to communicate between the co-systemoperations and the alternate network's management system. The SOC may belinked to the communications network using a radio channel as shown viabase station 402, or it may be linked by wire or fiber to the network.

FIG. 5 illustrates another implementation of a network for communicatingbetween a co-system and an alternate network. As shown in FIG. 5, theSOC may be a mobile handset (e.g., “smartphone” or User Equipment “UE”)502 with an included channel sharing application 504. This applicationmay communicate with the alternate network channel assignment system 506either directly (e.g., to the RNC) or indirectly via other entity suchas a network maintenance functionality 508 that administers channelusage for the alternate network. In other implementations, the SOC maybe an automatic apparatus integrated with the co-system operationstransceiver and control equipment that communicates with the alternatenetwork channel assignment processes. In some implementations, thesystem operator communicator (SOC) is a UE operated by a co-system userthat hosts the application that manages the channel assignment amongstthe co-system and the alternate system. The application may be genericfor the whole co-system territory, or it may be local to a specificregion where the co-system is operating (e.g., local to the area wherethe radiosonde is launched or the PPDR surveillance link is beingactivated).

FIG. 6 illustrates a channel management system 602 for the co-systemside of shared channel. The channel management system 602 receiveschannel sharing messages 604 from the alternate network side of theshared channel, or from other network components in the co-system. Thechannel management system 602 also transmits channel sharing messages606 to the alternate network side of the shared channel, or to othernetwork components in the co-system.

The channel management system 602 includes one or more processors 608,one or more memory devices 610, and one or more input/output interfaces612. The input/output interfaces 612 may be used to connect the channelmanagement system 602 with other devices or networks. The processor 608may be a computer processor implemented as a central processing unit(CPU), microprocessor, microcontroller, application specific integratedcircuit (ASIC), or a combination of circuits. In one implementation, theprocessor 608 is a specialized microprocessor with an architectureoptimized for a specific application, such as a channel sharingapplication, or a specific device, such as a mobile communication device(e.g., a smartphone or tablet computer). The memory device 610 mayinclude a magnetic disc, an optical disc, RAM, ROM, DRAM, SRAM, Flashand/or any other type of computer memory. The memory device 610 iscommunicatively coupled with the computer processor 608 so that thecomputer processor 608 can access data stored on the memory device 610,write data to the memory device 610, and execute programs and modulesstored on the memory device 610.

The memory device 610 includes one or more data storage areas 614 andone or more programs. The data and programs are accessible to thecomputer processor 608 so that the computer processor 608 isparticularly programmed to implement the channel sharing functionalityof the system. The programs may include one or more modules executableby the computer processor 608 to perform the desired channel sharingfunctions. For example, the program modules may include a channelsharing application 616. The memory device 610 may also store additionalprograms, modules, or other data to provide additional programming toallow the computer processor 608 to perform the functionality of thechannel management system 602. The described modules and programs may beparts of a single program, separate programs, or distributed acrossmultiple memories and processors. Furthermore, the programs and modules,or any portion of the programs and modules, may instead be implementedin hardware or circuitry.

FIG. 7 illustrates a channel management system (e.g., server) 702 forthe alternate network side of shared channel. The channel managementsystem 702 receives channel sharing messages 704 from the co-system sideof the shared channel, or from other network components in the alternatenetwork. The channel management system 702 also transmits channelsharing messages 706 to the co-system side of the shared channel, or toother network components in the alternate network. FIG. 7 includes oneor more processors 708, one or more memory devices 710 (including one ormore data storage areas 614 and one or more programs, such as thechannel sharing application 716), and one or more input/outputinterfaces 712. The descriptions above of components 608, 610, 612, 614,and 616 in connection with FIG. 6 are incorporated herein for thecorresponding components 708, 710, 712, 714, and 716 of FIG. 7.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of one implementation of user equipment 800(e.g., a mobile communication device, such as a smartphone) programmedwith a channel sharing application. User equipment 800 includes a numberof components, such as a main processor 802 that controls the overalloperation of user equipment 800. Communication functions, including dataand voice communications, are performed through a communicationsubsystem 804. The communication subsystem 804 receives messages fromand sends messages to wireless network 805. The communication subsystem804 may be configured in accordance with Universal MobileTelecommunications System (UMTS) technology using the UMTS TerrestrialRadio Access Network (UTRAN) or Long Term Evolution (LTE) technologyusing Evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN). Alternatively, the communicationsubsystem 804 may be configured in accordance with the Global System forMobile Communication (GSM) and General Packet Radio Services (GPRS)standards. In other implementations, the communication subsystem 804 maybe configured in accordance with other mobile communication protocols.The wireless link connecting communication subsystem 804 with wirelessnetwork 805 represents one or more different radio frequency (RF)channels, operating according to defined protocols specified for theparticular communication technologies being employed. These channels maybe capable of supporting both circuit switched voice communications andpacket switched data communications.

Other wireless networks also may be associated with user equipment 800in various implementations. The different types of wireless networksthat may be employed include, for example, data-centric wirelessnetworks, voice-centric wireless networks, and dual-mode networks thatcan support both voice and data communications over the same physicalbase stations. Combined dual-mode networks include, but are not limitedto, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) or CDMA2000 networks, GSM/GPRSnetworks, third-generation (3G) networks like EDGE and UMTS,fourth-generation (4G) networks, and Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks.Examples of other voice-centric data networks include PersonalCommunication Systems (PCS) networks like GSM and Time Division MultipleAccess (TDMA) systems.

Main processor 802 interacts with additional subsystems such as randomaccess memory (RAM) 806, flash memory 808, display 810, auxiliaryinput/output (I/O) subsystem 812, data port 814, keyboard 816, speaker818, microphone 820, short-range communications 822, and other devicesubsystems 824. Some of the subsystems of user equipment 800 performcommunication-related functions, whereas other subsystems may provideresident or on-device functions. For example, display 810 and keyboard816 may be used for both communication-related functions, such asentering a text message for transmission over network 805, anddevice-resident functions such as a calculator or task list or thechannel management system.

User equipment 800 may send and receive communication signals overwireless network 805 after required network registration or activationprocedures have been completed. Network access is associated with asubscriber or user of user equipment 800. To identify a subscriber, userequipment 300 may use a SIM card/RUIM 826 (i.e., Subscriber IdentityModule or a Removable User Identity Module) to be inserted into aSIM/RUIM interface 828 in order to communicate with a network. SIM cardor RUIM 826 is one type of a conventional smart card that can be used toidentify a subscriber of user equipment 800 and to personalize userequipment 800, among other things. SIM card/RUIM 826 may include aprocessor and memory for storing information. The SIM card/RUIM 826 mayenable a subscriber to access subscribed service, such as web browsingand messaging such as e-mail, voice mail, Short Message Service (SMS),and Multimedia Messaging Services (MMS), point of sale, field service,and sales force automation. Once SIM card/RUIM 826 is inserted intoSIM/RUIM interface 828, it is coupled to main processor 802. As analternative to the SIM card/RUIM 826, user identification informationmay be programmed into flash memory 808.

User equipment 800 may be a battery-powered device and includes batteryinterface 832 for receiving one or more rechargeable batteries 830. Inat least some embodiments, battery 830 may be a smart battery with anembedded microprocessor. Battery interface 832 may be coupled to aregulator, which assists battery 830 in providing power V+ to userequipment 800. Although current technology makes use of a battery,future technologies, such as micro fuel cells or photovoltaic cells, mayprovide the power to user equipment 800.

User equipment 800 also includes operating system 834 and other programs836. Operating system 834 and programs 836 may be implemented assoftware components that are run by main processor 802. Operating system834 and programs 836 typically are stored as program code on a mediareadable by a processor, such as main processor 802. Such readablestorage media may include a persistent storage device, such as flashmemory 308, which may alternatively be a read-only memory (ROM) orsimilar storage element. Those skilled in the art will appreciate thatportions of operating system 834 and programs 836, such as specificdevice applications, or parts thereof, may be temporarily loaded into avolatile storage device, such as RAM 806. Other software components alsomay be included, as is well known to those skilled in the art.

Programs 836 that control basic device operations, including data andvoice communication applications, will normally be installed on userequipment 800 during its manufacture. Other programs 836 include messageapplication 838. Message application 838 can be any suitable softwareprogram that allows a user of user equipment 800 to send and receiveelectronic messages. Messages that have been sent or received by theuser are typically stored in flash memory 808 of user equipment 800, orsome other suitable storage element in user equipment 800. In someimplementations, some of the sent and received messages may be storedremotely from user equipment 800, such as in a data store of anassociated host system.

Programs 836 may further include device state module 840, PersonalInformation Manager (PIM) 842, and other suitable modules. Device statemodule 840 provides persistence, i.e., device state module 840 ensuresthat some device data is stored in persistent memory, such as flashmemory 808, so that the data is not lost when user equipment 800 isturned off or loses power. PIM 842 includes functionality for organizingand managing data items of interest to the user, such as, but notlimited to, e-mail, contacts, calendar events, voice mails,appointments, and task items. User equipment 800 also includes connectmodule 844, and IT policy module 846. Connect module 844 implements thecommunication protocols that are used by user equipment 300 tocommunicate with the wireless infrastructure and any host system, suchas an enterprise system. Connect module 844 may include a set ofApplication Program Interfaces (APIs) that can be integrated with userequipment 800 to allow user equipment 800 to use any number of servicesassociated with an enterprise system. IT policy module 846 receives ITpolicy data that encodes the IT policy. IT policy module 846 thenensures that the IT policy data is authenticated by user equipment 800.The IT policy data can then be stored in flash memory 806 in its nativeform. Other types of programs or software applications also may beinstalled on user equipment 800. These software applications may bethird party applications, which are added after the manufacture of userequipment 800. Examples of third party applications include games,calculators, utilities, and the like.

User equipment 800 is programmed with a channel sharing application 848that enables the user equipment 800 to manage the shared usage of one ormore spectrum channels. The channel sharing application 848 is asoftware package that, as part of the system operator controller (SOC),translates the co-system operator's input information associated withoperational parameters (e.g., channel(s), time(s), geographic area(s),and/or other planned channel usage aspects) into suitable commands orinstructions to the alternate network system to inform the alternatenetwork system that it may no longer use the affected channels. In oneexample, the co-system sharing application runs on a system operatorcontroller (SOC) that may conveniently be a mobile device connected to acommunications network.

The channel sharing application 848 may include one or more stand-alonemodules, or may be implemented, in whole or in part, as part of anothermodule. The channel sharing application 848 may be activated whennecessary to operate the channel sharing application, or activated whenit is necessary to send or receive notifications (e.g., channel clearconfirmations) to/from the mobile network 805. For example, the channelsharing application 848 may be initiated by the co-system operator tospecify a change in channel allocations between the co-system and thealternate system. The co-system operator would indicate the requiredradio frequency channels, the times and location of usage. The channelsharing application 848 would communicate this information to thealternate system to request the changes in radio frequency channels.This communication may be provided using the data communicationsfacilities that are provided for the user equipment device 800 where thechannel sharing application 848 is running (for example, the co-systemsite). This communication may, for example, be with the operationsadministration and management (OAM) facility of the alternate operator'snetwork. In this example, the channel sharing application 848 wouldfunction to translate the co-system operator's requirements into theneeded commands to the OAM facility to disable the required RF channellocations and times.

In the case of the illustrated user equipment device 800, communicationsmay occur over the communications subsystems 804 (radios & antennas) ofthe device 800 and be linked via radio to the communications network 805where the communications would be communicated to the desired alternatemobile network's facilities. Addressing for the alternate network systemwould be included as part of the channel sharing application 848. Withthis arrangement, the channel sharing application 848 may interact withseveral mobile networks and enable co-system operations with multipleshared channel configurations with multiple mobile networks. In thisembodiment, the channel sharing application 848 may be implemented as anapplication running on a mobile device. The channel sharing application848 would communicate with the alternate network system to implement theneeded channel usage. The user equipment 800 would serve as a remoteaccess terminal to the mobile network's OAM center that will in turncommunicate with the eNBs that restrict their RF channels. Thecommunication may include coordination among the eNB to require the eNBsin a certain area to dynamically release the RF channel needed by theco-system (primary) user. In LTE, or other systems, the instructionsfrom the application may pass through RRC (Radio Resource Control)messages to affected UEs to switch/add (multi-connectivity) radiochannel in order to offload/move to a new available channel. In oneimplementation, the channel sharing application 848 communicates withthe OAM center using an over-the-top data communications link, such asvia the Internet Protocol (IP).

In the mobile device configuration of the co-system channel sharingapplication 848, advantage may be taken of the device's SIM/RUIMidentification/authentication elements 826 connected to the SIM/RUIMInterface 828. The SIM/RUIM 826 may be used to authenticate theco-system channel sharing application 848 to the mobile network toensure the security of the channel management application 848 with theco-system. Such authentication may also form the basis forcredit/payment for using the shared spectrum. The co-system, forexample, may receive credit for its spectrum shared based on the amountof spectrum and the time of use. In this context, the credit may be oneor more of many different forms of credit, including, for example,monetary compensation for channel usage, or an agreement betweenoperators for usage of spectrum channels at another time or in anotherfrequency band, or the agreement may be for carriage of traffic viaanother network.

FIG. 9 illustrates a first channel sharing message exchange betweenmultiple communication systems. In the implementation of FIG. 9, aco-system network 902 and an alternate network 906 communicate throughone or more channel sharing applications 904. The channel sharingapplication 904 coordinates a shared usage of one or more spectrumchannels between the co-system network 902 and the alternate network906. In one implementation, the channel sharing application 904 of FIG.9 may be resident to the co-system network 902, such as in a systemoperator controller (SOC) of the co-system network 902. In anotherimplementation, the channel sharing application 904 of FIG. 9 may beresident to the alternate network 906, such as in a channel managementserver of the alternate network 906. In still another implementation,the functionality of the channel sharing application 904 of FIG. 9 maybe split between an application resident to the co-system network 902and another application resident to the alternate network 906.

The SOC may be a mobile device used by the co-system operator tointeract with the alternate network 906. The SOC may be a mobile handset(“smartphone”) with an included channel sharing application thatcommunicates with the alternate network operations center or with achannel sharing application in the alternate network 906. Alternately,the SOC could be an application resident on a computer at the co-systemoperator location that communicates, automatically or upon interactorcommand, information about co-system missions to the alternate networkoperations functionality. The interactor at the alternate networkoperations functionality may be, for example, an application operatingin the RNC associated with the base stations or NodeB that are in thevicinity of the co-system operating site. Alternatively, when there isno specific RNC, as in an LTE network, the communication may be with theserving eNodeB. The serving eNodeB may communicate the co-systemmissions to neighboring eNodeBs over the X2 interface. The affected RNCor eNodeB may be determined from the location of the co-system operatingsite and the co-system's relation to the coverage area of the mobilenetwork base stations or eNodeB. The channel management application maymanage the allocation of channels in the area to accommodate theco-system operations. Alternatively, the SOC may communicate with anapplication in a channel management server located on the alternatenetwork side. This server may be associated with mobile network or itmay be an independent service. The server may receive the operatingparameters for the co-system operation and determine the affectedalternate network elements and then inform the alternate network of theneeded channel re-assignments. This determination may include selectionof channels to enable aggregation of spectrum in the co-system and thealternate network for maximum contiguous bandwidth availability. Thechannel sharing application in the user equipment will be triggered tostart interacting with the alternate network by the co-channel user whena channel change is required. Initiation may be, for example, by thelocal radiosonde operator shortly before the time of balloon launch. Inother applications, the channel sharing notification to the alternatenetwork may be triggered automatically by, for example, the schedulingprocess for a satellite RADAR measurement system shortly before the timeof satellite transit.

The operation message flow of FIG. 9 begins with the co-system operatorcommunicating with the alternate network (e.g., by using the SOC) toinform the alternate network of the pending co-system operations. Atstep 908, the co-system network 902 determines the parameters of aplanned operation (e.g., a sensor mission and/or communication session).This information exchange may include, but is not limited to, the timeof operation (including proposed mission start time and expectedend-of-mission time), the radio frequency channels to be occupied, thelocation of the active co-system transceiver apparatus, other operationparameters, or any subset of such information. If the co-systemtransceiver operation is more sensitive to interference in one directionover another, the information sent to the alternate network may includeinformation such as the antenna response pattern and location of theantennas and their height. The system may use this antenna patterninformation, as well as the other operation parameters, to create theappropriate (perhaps circular or non-circular) channel exclusion zone(“hole”) where appropriate. For example, at step 910, the channelsharing application 904 determines the affected cells/sectors and timeperiod. The SOC, using the channel management application that may behosted on user equipment, will inform the alternate network of the needto alter channel usage (e.g., in one implementation using over-the-topsignaling to the OAM interface of the alternate network). In thealternate network (e.g., LTE), both the affected eNodeBs and theirassociated user equipment may be informed of the needed changes. In someimplementations, the information flow could be to the user equipmentfirst over NAS signaling and then to the eNodeB via RRC or alternativelyto eNodeB first via OAM and then to user equipment via RRC. It isexpected that for LTE or other mobile systems, the user equipment willbe managed to use the new channels by their host eNodeB. In someinstances, where the alternate network has insufficient resources, theuser equipment may be directed to other alternate network facilities.

If the SOC messaging is sent some time before the actual time ofoperation, the server may await until shortly before the planned starttime before signaling the alternate network equipment to clear thechannels. In some implementations, the channel management server actionsmay be implemented using the maintenance facilities inherent in thealternate network. The SOC and its channel sharing application may alsoissue channel “maintenance-busy” or channel “return-to-service” commandsto the alternate network maintenance center which will set the statusand activity of the system channels. For example, at step 912, thechannel sharing application may send a “maintenance-busy” command to thealternate network to clear one or more channels for use by the co-systemoperations.

The communication of the pending co-system mission to the alternatenetwork by the channel sharing application may specify the co-system'srequested channels, the location of their use and the end of the plannedoperational use. This will facilitate basic co-system operations. Insome embodiments, specifying additional information may facilitate moreefficient sharing and coordination among several co-system operations.In these alternatives, the co-system may additionally communicate theplanned future start time for the co-system channel use, its duration,or the predicted end time. In the event that the co-system requiresadditional channel usage, it may signal of new channel usage times,durations and end times. In some instances, the co-system may signalchanges in operation such as “start of use” and “end of use” for asubset of channels that may be in co-system usage. In some instances,the communication may indicate which of a pre-organized set of co-systemoperational scenarios is to be invoked.

At the appropriate time after the alternate network has been notified ofthe pending co-system operation, the alternate network 906 will clearthe affected spectrum channels in the affected area. For example, atstep 914, the alternate network 906 hands over active traffic on theaffected channels to other channels. The alternate network 906 may alsoblock the assignment of new traffic to the affected channels in theaffected area. In one implementation, the alternate network 906, uponreceiving a request for shared channels for the co-system, determinesthe affected channels and the area of blockage. For example, in a sensorapplication for the typical radiosonde operation in the 1675-1683 MHzband, calculations using the typical systems' antenna gains and thereceiver parameters indicate that mobile network transceivers within asurrounding range of about 10 km of the radiosonde launch site wouldneed to be blocked from the radio frequency channels used by theradiosonde equipment.

The blocking distance may be calculated using the density of mobiledevice operations, their radiated power, and the path loss to theco-system operating site. The path loss, or exclusion range, should beat levels so that the aggregate of the signals from the distant mobilesystem transceivers is below the interference threshold for theco-system receiver. In one implementation, the area of blockage iscalculated by considering the radio frequency of operation, the heightof the antennas of the co-system receiver, the alternate systemtransmitter, the terrain, and the alternate system transmitter radiatedpower and bandwidth. The International Telecommunications Union (ITU)has published a number of reports outlining methods for calculatinginterference ranges between systems. The document ITU-R P.528(“Propagation curves for aeronautical mobile and radionavigationservices using the VHF, UHF and SHF bands”), for example, provides oneguide in cases where the co-system is an airborne platform, such as aradiosonde. For ground based systems, such as RADAR or fixed or mobileservices, the documents ITU-R P.1546 (“Method for point-to-areapredictions for terrestrial services in the frequency range 30 MHz to3000 MHz”) and ITU-R P.452 (“Prediction procedure for the evaluation ofinterference between stations on the surface of the Earth at frequenciesabove about 0.1 GHz”) may be used. In some implementations, the system(e.g., a system following the methods of ITU-R P.528 and P.1546) doesnot account for clutter in the environment of the mobile devicetransmitter if the alternate system is a mobile network with an antennaheight below the height of objects such as buildings and vehicles in thevicinity. In other implementations, the system may also include themethod for clutter compensation in ITU-R P.452, section 4.5.

In this example, the radiosondes that may be operated as a co-systemhave a signal bandwidth of about 180 KHz, and their operation wouldtypically only affect one mobile network channel. If, however, theco-system channel overlapped two mobile network channels then the twochannels may need to be blocked in the mobile system. In some mobilesystems it may be possible to reduce the occupied channel bandwidth toaccommodate the co-system usage (e.g., in an LTE system it may changefrom a 10 MHz RF bandwidth to 5 MHz or restrict the use of some radioresource bearers within an RF channel). In some instances, such aswideband satellite and terrestrial RADAR systems, the co-systemoperation may utilize multiple channels, or wide bandwidth channels andthereby affect multiple of the mobile operating channels. In someinstances, such as Carrier Aggregation in LTE, the co-system operationmay utilize multiple channels and in some embodiments, the ideas of thisapplication may affect some or all of the LTE carriers. In someembodiments, the alternate system operation may simply suppress its useof a subset of the sub-carriers covering the radiosonde radio frequencychannels to create a “hole” in the spectrum wide enough for theradiosonde operation. Such an alternative may be appropriate foralternate system mobile devices that are separated at longer ranges fromthe radiosonde location and so may provide a sufficient reduction inco-system radio signal strength to enable the radiosonde receiver to notexperience interference.

Alternatively, the co-system operator and the alternate network may makea prior agreement as to the necessary exclusion zones for channels beingused by the co-system. The exclusion zones may be geographic areas andmay also include exclusion of portions of the shared channel spectrum.In some instances, the geographic extent and the excluded spectrum maybe different in different regions and for different network operations.These exclusion plans may be stored in the alternate network facilitiesor a channel management functionality or co-system channel sharingapplication for use at a later time. The channel managementfunctionality may also find it advantageous, if it does calculate anexclusion distance or zone, to store the calculated information for usewith later operations (and thus save the time and work of calculatingthe zone each time). However, in some instances, the parameter detailsof the calculation of the exclusion zone may change with time, with theatmospheric propagation conditions of the co-system, and with the mobilesystem radio signals. In these cases, the calculation may be recomputedfor each co-system operation based on the current operating conditions.

As shown in step 914, the alternate network may clear the affected radiofrequency channels by “handing over” any currently active traffic onthese channels to other channels not being used by the co-system. Thealternate network would hand over all the active traffic on the affectedchannels in the cells or sectors that provide coverage within theexclusion range of the active co-system transceiver sites. In someinstances, the affected channels may be downlink only operating inaggregation with other channels in use by the alternate network'sdevices. In these instances the alternate network may, if needed,transfer traffic to other available radio frequency channels or deferthe system's transmissions until the channel is again available.

This process may conveniently be accomplished, for example, by thechannel sharing application issuing “maintenance busy” commands for theaffected channels to the serving network transceiver stations and theirassociated controllers or maintenance operations center. This will havethe effect of automatically initiating a hand over of current trafficfor the affected channels and blocking their further use until themaintenance busy state is removed. With this technique, in someimplementations, the system does not require any additional or newfeature changes to the alternate network to operate in the shared mode.For example, the commands to enable and disable radio frequency channelsare already available through the mobile network maintenance system.

In some instances, the channel sharing with the co-system may operate ina reverse mode. In this scenario, the alternate system, may request theco-system to refrain from using some channels. This may occur, forexample, in cases of heavy traffic or services requiring high quality ofservice in the alternate system. The alternate network would thencommunicate with the co-system sharing application and request theco-system to refrain from usage of the indicated channels. In the caseof the radiosonde sharing, for example, the launch of the radiosondesmay be delayed a few minutes to allow the alternate network's peaktraffic to clear.

Upon the successful clearing of the affected radio channels, the mobilenetwork (through the RNC or the channel management functionality ormaintenance system) may communicate with the channel sharing applicationat step 916 to indicate that the requested channels are all clear forthe co-channel mission. At step 918, the channel sharing applicationsends a message to the co-system network indicating that the requestedchannels are clear. At step 920, upon receiving the all-clear indication(or at the designated start-time), the co-system operator may beginoperations of its transceiver equipment on the affected channels tobegin its mission.

At step 922, once the co-system mission is completed, the co-systemoperator, using the SOC and its channel sharing application, maycommunicate to the alternate network that the mission is completed andthat the radio frequency channels are now available for alternatenetwork use. If the mission end time was communicated as part of theinitial set-up, the end message need not be sent if the actualcompletion of use is near to the predicted time. However, if the missioncompletes early it is advantageous for this early availability to becommunicated with the alternate network to enable the channels to bebrought back into service as soon as possible. If the mission isovertime, the SOC may also communicate the extended time requirement tothe alternate network so that the channels remain blocked for thenecessary additional time. In some implementations, in order to minimizecommunications overhead, when signaling the conclusion of one mission,the SOC may signal the future time of another planned mission. This willenable the sharing networks to plan for future use of the affectedchannels.

At step 924, upon receiving the message of completion of the co-systemmission and the end of use of the affected radio frequency channels (orat the scheduled mission completion time), the alternate network 906 mayunblock the radio channels and again operate its traffic over thechannels. This may be conveniently accomplished by issuing a “return toservice” maintenance command via the alternate network maintenanceserver (e.g. the OAM facility) for the affected channels. This will havethe effect of unblocking the use of the channels and permitting them toagain handle traffic. At step 926, the affected channels are restored tonormal operation by the alternate network. New traffic may be assignedto the channels, deferred traffic may be started again, and traffic maybe handed over from other channels.

Although the exchange of operations in FIG. 9 is shown in a particularorder, other implementations may alter the order of operations, break asingle operation into multiple operations, or combine multipleoperations into fewer operations. As one example, in someimplementations, the messages indicating confirmation that the channelshave been cleared, and messages indicating confirmation that a missionhas been completed, may be presumed to have occurred according to planand need not be sent as individual messages, but rather may be combinedinto a common acknowledgment. As another example, in someimplementations, additional messages indicating failures to clearchannels or to complete the co-system mission may be sent.

While the description of FIG. 9 has been in the example context of aco-system operation with radiosondes, the described operations couldequally be used for other operations. For example, the channel sharingoperations could enable sharing channels that are used for downlink ofinformation from polar (or other low-earth) orbit satellites that areperiodically observed by a receiving station. In this alternative, thereceiving station may inform the alternate network (e.g., a mobilenetwork), using the SOC, of the impending transit of the satellite, thelocation and the affected radio frequency channels. This informationwould be communicated a sufficient time in advance of the visibility ofthe satellite to permit the mobile network to clear the affectedchannels. The satellite receiving station may then receive the signalsfrom the satellite during its transit. Upon completion of the reception,the satellite receiving station would inform the mobile network, usingthe SOC, of the return to availability of the channels and the networkcould then make them available for its traffic. Similarly, co-systemssuch as RADAR and other satellite systems can communicate to thealternate system the channel sets, locations, and timing of theco-system beam pattern, orbits and transit times to ensure the channelsmay be cleared for use by the co-system transceivers at the appropriatetimes and locations.

FIG. 10 illustrates a second channel sharing message exchange betweenmultiple communication systems. In the implementation of FIG. 10, aco-system network 1002 and an alternate network 1006 communicate throughone or more channel sharing applications 1004, as discussed above inconnection with FIG. 9. FIG. 10 illustrates an implementation where thechannel management server of the alternate network 1006, or its channelsharing application, responds to queries from the SOC of the co-systemnetwork 1002 about suitable choices of operating radio frequencychannels. The channel management server of the alternate network 1006may consider its current traffic and operations in other nearby regions(e.g., there may be multiple co-systems operating at similar times fromdifferent areas of the alternate network) and respond with suggestedradio frequency channels for the local co-system operation. Theco-system operator may then program the co-system to the channel, orchannels, suggested by the alternate network channel managementfacility. The query process may be completed by some systems beforeinitiating the co-system operating mission coordinating sequence ofsignaling as outlined in FIG. 9.

At step 1008, the co-system network 1002 requests a channel for apending co-system operation. The co-system network 1002 may gatherparameters of the pending operation, such as potential channels, time ofoperation, location of operation, duration of operation, stop time ofoperation, or other operation parameters that would assist the alternatenetwork 1006 select an appropriate spectrum channel for the co-systemoperation. At step 1010, the channel sharing application 1004 determinesthe affected geographic areas and time periods, as discussed above inconnection with FIG. 9. At step 1012, the channel sharing application1004 requests the alternate network 1006 to suggest an appropriatechannel for the operation. The request message of step 1012 may includeone or more of the operational parameters, affected areas, or affectedtimes determined at steps 1008 and/or 1010. At step 1014, the alternatenetwork 1006 reviews the current channel activity. At step 1016, thealternate network 1006 sends a list to the channel sharing application1004 of one or more available channels for the co-system operation. Thealternate network 1006 may consider competing requirements, otherchannel requests, and traffic load conditions on various channels beforeidentifying the suggested channels to the channel sharing application1004. At step 1018, the channel sharing application 1004 chooses one ormore channels (e.g., a channel set) from the list of suggested channels.At step 1020, the channel sharing application 1004 notifies theco-system network 1002 of the selected channel for the co-systemoperation. At step 1022, the co-system programs the pending operation touse the selected channel. At step 1024, the channel sharing application1004 notifies the alternate network 1006 of the selected channel, sothat the alternate network 1006 can prepare the spectrum channel for theco-system operation, such as by clearing communication traffic from theselected channel, as described above in connection with FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 illustrates a third channel sharing message exchange betweenmultiple communication systems. In the implementation of FIG. 11, aco-system network 1102 and an alternate network 1108 communicate throughchannel sharing applications 1104 and 1106. FIG. 11 illustrates animplementation where the channel sharing applications function tomaximize the contiguous bandwidth available for the sharing of thechannels between the co-system network 1102 and the alternate system1108. In this configuration, the co-system channel sharing application1104 may communicate with a channel sharing application 1106 of thealternate network 1108. These two applications exchange informationabout current channel usage, exchange information about the requestedchannel usage, and select a channel set for the co-system use thatmaximizes the contiguous bandwidth available.

The co-system 1102 and the alternate network 1108 may work together toaggregate multiple channels between systems to facilitate a sufficientbandwidth for the services. In this coordination, the co-system 1102 andthe alternate network 1108 may exchange messages to organize a group ofcontiguous channels to be cleared for the other system. In thisimplementation, the channel sharing applications include processes toindicate to the other system the amount of spectrum needed and to selectthe desired channels. An instance of the channel sharing application maybe associated with, and utilized by both the co-system 1102 and thealternate network 1108. The method is applicable to radiosonde sensorsas well as other types of sensors and co-systems with similar patternsof intermittent and non-contiguous geographic radio frequency andchannel usage.

The channel sharing application functions to instruct the alternatenetwork of the channels and base station that should be released topermit the co-system to carry out its mission (e.g., for the radiosondeto ascend or a PPDR surveillance link to operate or a satellite RADAR topass over). In the arrangements in this discussion, the co-system is thelicensed owner of the spectrum and the alternate network mobile systemis being instructed to restrict its channel use (as it is the secondaryuser). In the implementation of FIG. 11, the co-system channel sharingapplication 1104 interacts with a similar functionality of the alternatenetwork (e.g., the mobile network) to determine the most mutuallyagreeable channels to be relinquished or operated at lower power orrange by the alternate network mobile system.

In the sequence of FIG. 11, at step 1110, the SOC of the co-system 1102determines the required channels, times, and bandwidths for its upcomingmission. The SOC communicates its needs to the co-system channel sharingapplication 1104. This communication may happen automatically betweenapparatus of the co-system, or it may be entered by the co-systemoperators into the channel sharing application. The co-system channelsharing application 1104 then makes a query to the alternate networkchannel sharing application 1106 at step 1114. The query may include thechannels, timing, and bandwidths needed for future operations. Thealternate network channel sharing application 1106 is also appraised ofthe alternate network channel activity at step 1112. This activity mayinclude activity that is current or planned across multiple alternatenetwork sites and areas. With the request and the current activity, thealternate channel sharing application 1106 reviews the activity (step1116), determines the affected channels cell/sector and times ofoperation (step 1118), and selects an aggregate channel list that bestmeets the bandwidth needs of the co-system (steps 1120 and 1122). Thisrecommended channel list is then communicated from the alternate networkchannel sharing application 1106 to the co-system channel sharingapplication 1104 at step 1124. At step 1126, the co-system channelsharing application 1104 chooses the channel set that is most suitablefrom the recommended list. In some cases, for example, there may be feesassociated with the channel sharing, and the co-system may make its setselection based on the fee structure as well as its bandwidth andoperational needs. With the channel set selected, the co-system channelsharing application 1104 indicates the selected channels to the SOC ofthe co-system 1102 at step 1128 so that the co-system apparatus may beprogrammed as needed for the selected channel set at step 1130. At step1132, the co-system channel sharing application 1104 may then make arequest to the alternate network channel sharing application 1106 forsharing the channels, and the procedure continues to actually share thechannels as described above in connection with FIG. 9. The alternatenetwork channel sharing application 1106 would be informed of the RFchannels that need to be cleared, the location of the clearing (area orspecific eNodeB), and the times for clearance. In some instances, theinformation might also include reduced power limits or sub-carrier orradio resource block restrictions or improved adjacent channel emissionsreductions. When the co-system usage is concluded, the alternate networksharing application 1106 may remove the restrictions.

In some implementations, the channel sharing system described herein maybe used to allow the one of the communication systems to transmit dataon a spectrum channel. However, in other implementations, the system mayaccount for other modes of operation. For example, the system couldapply to a “connected mode” of the mobile devices of the alternatenetwork, but may also impact the “idle mode” for many mobile systems(e.g., 3GPP) for example or other systems (also called as RRC_Idle,Packet Idle mode, or the like). The channel sharing system may controlgenerally any state where the device is not effectively transmittingdata at the time but makes use of frequencies, receiving, waiting toadd/receive data, or perform mobility within the network. For example,information received from the co-system or channel sharing applicationcould be used by the devices or network to determine, filter, add, orremove channels on which to perform autonomous cell reselection in idlemode or Packet Idle mode in GERAN/UMTS/LTE. Such channel selection orreselection may possibly then be re-used by mobile devices of thealternate network in the connected mode, also called, e.g.,RRC_Connected. Information received could take all range of granularityas described above in terms of location and/or timing, radio frequencychannels and/or carriers. In an example, information received could bethat there is no co-system channel usage within a certain area thatmakes use of a given band or set of radio frequency channels andtherefore the mobile device or network could make use of this band orset of radio frequency channels for idle mode and/or connected mode.This information could be sent to the device and/or network periodicallyand/or upon change. In detail, the alternate system restrictions mayalso impact the eNodeB of small cells under the coverage of macro cellas all cells, including these the small cells that should be turnedon/off to off to protect the primary co-system users.

In one implementation, the alternate system network could sendinformation to the device (for example a single bit in the SystemInformation messages in idle). The single bit could be either zero orone. When the bit is zero, the system may be indicating that the mobiledevice is not allowed to use the band for cell reselection andmeasurements. When the bit is one, the system may be indicating that themobile device is allowed to use the band for cell reselection andmeasurements. Because the uplink and downlink RF emissions of thealternate network mobile system are often in different frequency bandsthere may be cases in which only the uplink transmissions from themobile device (UE) may be blocked by the co-system use. In other casesonly the downlink transmission from the NodeB are blocked and in somecases both directions may be blocked. If the downlink channels areblocked, the UE may be handed-over to another (unblocked) channel in thecell or to another unblocked channel on another cell. However, if onlythe uplink emissions (from the UE) are blocked, then in some cases theUE may chose to remain camped on the cell listening to the downlinksignaling, but prepared to transfer to an unblocked channel or anothercell if the UE needs an uplink for active uplink traffic or signaling.This arrangement may save handover resources, particularly if theco-system usage of the channel is expected to be brief, and it mayenable a UE receiving downlink only traffic to continue its serviceuninterrupted.

Alternatively, in another example, the alternate system network couldenhance the neighbor cell list provided to the mobile device with cellsin the extra allowed band depending on information received from theco-system. This could apply to RRC_Idle and RRC_Connected (idle mode andconnected mode). Note that the two implementations above could becombined, the network would indicate the extra frequencies/cells to thedevice, and would enable/disable their use on a cell, frequency or bandbasis. This alternative would minimize the frequent transmission ofmodified messages.

Each of the processes described herein may be encoded in acomputer-readable storage medium (e.g., a computer memory), programmedwithin a device (e.g., one or more circuits or processors), or may beprocessed by a controller or a computer. If the processes are performedby software, the software may reside in a local or distributed memoryresident to or interfaced to a storage device, a communicationinterface, or non-volatile or volatile memory in communication with atransmitter. The memory may include an ordered listing of executableinstructions for implementing logic. Logic or any system elementdescribed may be implemented through optic circuitry, digital circuitry,through source code, through analog circuitry, or through an analogsource, such as through an electrical, audio, or video signal. Thesoftware may be embodied in any computer-readable or signal-bearingmedium, for use by, or in connection with an instruction executablesystem, apparatus, or device. Such a system may include a computer-basedsystem, a processor-containing system, or another system that mayselectively fetch instructions from an instruction executable system,apparatus, or device that may also execute instructions.

A “computer-readable storage medium,” “machine-readable medium,”“propagated-signal” medium, and/or “signal-bearing medium” may comprisea medium (e.g., a non-transitory medium) that stores, communicates,propagates, or transports software or data for use by or in connectionwith an instruction executable system, apparatus, or device. Themachine-readable medium may selectively be, but not limited to, anelectronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, orsemiconductor system, apparatus, device, or propagation medium. Anon-exhaustive list of examples of a machine-readable medium wouldinclude: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portablemagnetic or optical disk, a volatile memory, such as a Random AccessMemory (RAM), a Read-Only Memory (ROM), an Erasable ProgrammableRead-Only Memory (EPROM or Flash memory), or an optical fiber. Amachine-readable medium may also include a tangible medium, as thesoftware may be electronically stored as an image or in another format(e.g., through an optical scan), then compiled, and/or interpreted orotherwise processed. The processed medium may then be stored in acomputer and/or machine memory.

While various embodiments, features, and benefits of the present systemhave been described, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill inthe art that many more embodiments, features, and benefits are possiblewithin the scope of the disclosure. For example, other alternate systemsmay include any combinations of structure and functions described aboveor shown in the figures.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method of sharing achannel by a first communication system and a second communicationsystem, comprising: transmitting a request by a processor associatedwith a first channel management server of the first communication systemto a second channel management server of the second communication systemto clear communication traffic associated with the second communicationsystem from a spectrum channel, where transmitting the request comprisessending, from the processor associated with the first channel managementserver to the second channel management server, an identification of thespectrum channel to be at least partially cleared; and initiating acommunication session for the first communication system on the spectrumchannel after the communication traffic associated with the secondcommunication system has been at least partially cleared from thespectrum channel.
 2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, furthercomprising receiving a message at the processor associated with thefirst channel management server from the second channel managementserver prior to initiating the communication session, where the messageindicates that the spectrum channel is clear.
 3. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising transmittinga message by the processor associated with the first channel managementserver to the second channel management server after completion of thecommunication session, where the message indicates that the secondcommunication system is authorized to resume communication traffic onthe spectrum channel.
 4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1,where the step of transmitting the request further comprises sending,from the processor associated with the first channel management serverto the second channel management server, an operation time parameterthat indicates a temporal attribute of the communication session and anoperation geography parameter that indicates a geographical attribute ofthe communication session.
 5. The computer-implemented method of claim1, where the step of transmitting the request comprises: calculating ageographical exclusion range by the processor based on parameters of thecommunication session; identifying, by the processor, one or more basestations associated with the second communication system within thegeographical exclusion range; and including an identification of the oneor more base stations in the request.
 6. The computer-implemented methodof claim 1, where the processor associated with the first communicationsystem is part of a mobile device coupled via a wireless network to oneor more other components of the first communication system and to one ormore components of the second communication system.
 7. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, where the request comprises arequest for a suitable spectrum channel suggested by the second channelmanagement server, where the method further comprises receiving amessage from the second channel management server identifying asuggested spectrum channel, and where the step of initiating thecommunication session on the spectrum channel comprises programming thefirst communication system to initiate the communication session on thesuggested spectrum channel.
 8. The computer-implemented method of claim1, where the request comprises a maintenance busy command.
 9. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, where the spectrum channelcomprises a radio frequency channel, where the first communicationsystem comprises a radiosonde sensor system, RADAR system, or satellitesystem, and where the second communication system comprises a mobiletelephone network.
 10. A spectrum channel sharing system, comprising: acomputer processor associated with a first communication system; acomputer memory device coupled with the computer processor; and achannel sharing application stored in the computer memory and executableby the computer processor to cause the computer processor to: transmit arequest by a first channel management server of the first communicationsystem to a second channel management server of a second communicationsystem to clear communication traffic associated with the secondcommunication system from a spectrum channel, where the request includesan identification of the spectrum channel to be at least partiallycleared; and initiate a communication session for the firstcommunication system on the spectrum channel after the communicationtraffic associated with the second communication system has been atleast partially cleared from the spectrum channel.
 11. The spectrumchannel sharing system of claim 10, where the channel sharingapplication is executable by the computer processor to cause thecomputer processor to initiate the communication session after receiptof a message from the second channel management server that indicatesthat the spectrum channel is clear.
 12. The spectrum channel sharingsystem of claim 10, where the channel sharing application is executableby the computer processor to cause the computer processor to transmit amessage to the second channel management server after completion of thecommunication session, where the message indicates that the secondcommunication system is authorized to resume communication traffic onthe spectrum channel.
 13. The spectrum channel sharing system of claim10, where the channel sharing application is executable by the computerprocessor to cause the computer processor to send to the second channelmanagement server in the request: an operation time parameter thatindicates a temporal attribute of the communication session; and anoperation geography parameter that indicates a geographical attribute ofthe communication session.
 14. The spectrum channel sharing system ofclaim 10, where the channel sharing application is executable by thecomputer processor to cause the computer processor to: calculate ageographical exclusion range based on parameters of the communicationsession; identify one or more base stations associated with the secondcommunication system within the geographical exclusion range; andinclude an identification of the one or more base stations in therequest.
 15. The spectrum channel sharing system of claim 10, where thecomputer processor associated with the first communication system ispart of a mobile device coupled via a wireless network to one or moreother components of the first communication system and to one or morecomponents of the second communication system.
 16. The spectrum channelsharing system of claim 10, where the request comprises a request for asuitable spectrum channel suggested by the second channel managementserver, where the first channel management server of the firstcommunication system is configured to receive a message from the secondchannel management server identifying a suggested spectrum channel, andwhere the channel sharing application is executable by the computerprocessor to cause the computer processor to program the firstcommunication system to initiate the communication session on asuggested spectrum channel.
 17. The spectrum channel sharing system ofclaim 10, where the request comprises a maintenance busy command. 18.The spectrum channel sharing system of claim 10, where the spectrumchannel comprises a radio frequency channel, where the firstcommunication system comprises a radiosonde sensor system, RADAR system,or satellite system, and where the second communication system comprisesa mobile telephone network.
 19. A computer-implemented method of sharinga spectrum channel by a first communication system and a secondcommunication system, comprising: receiving a request from a firstchannel management server of the first communication system at a secondchannel management server of the second communication system to clearcommunication traffic from a spectrum channel used by the secondcommunication system to support the communication traffic, where therequest includes an identification of the spectrum channel to be atleast partially cleared; and clearing at least a portion of thecommunication traffic from the spectrum channel in response to therequest.
 20. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, furthercomprising transmitting a message by the second channel managementserver to the first channel management server indicating that thespectrum channel is clear for use by the first communication system. 21.The computer-implemented method of claim 19, where the step of clearingat least the portion of the communication traffic comprises:transferring existing communication traffic from the spectrum channel toa different spectrum channel in response to the request; and blockingthe spectrum channel from future use for a period of time.
 22. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 19, further comprising: receiving asession completion message from the first channel management serverindicating that the second communication system is authorized to resumecommunication traffic on the spectrum channel; and transmitting a returnto service command associated with the spectrum channel to a basestation associated with the second communication system.
 23. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 19, where the step of clearing atleast the portion of the communication traffic comprises transmitting amaintenance busy command by the second channel management server to abase station associated with the second communication system.
 24. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 19, where the step of clearing atleast the portion of the communication traffic comprises: calculating ageographical exclusion range by the second channel management serverbased on parameters of the communication session received from the firstcommunication session in the request; identifying, by the second channelmanagement server, one or more base stations associated with the secondcommunication system within the geographical exclusion range; andtransmitting a command to the one or more base stations to clearcommunication traffic from the channel.
 25. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 19, where the spectrum channel comprises a radiofrequency channel, where the first communication system comprises aradiosonde sensor system, RADAR system, or satellite system, and wherethe second communication system comprises a mobile telephone network.26. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, where the spectrumchannel comprises a radio frequency channel, where the communicationsystem comprises a mobile telephone network, and where the differentcommunication system comprises a radiosonde sensor system, RADAR system,or satellite system, and where the first channel management serverapplication is executable by the computer processor to cause thecomputer processor to: transfer existing communication traffic from thespectrum channel to a different spectrum channel in response to therequest by transmitting a maintenance busy command to a base stationassociated with the communication system; transmit a message to thefirst communication system that the spectrum channel is clear for use bythe first communication system; receive a session completion message;and resume communication traffic on the spectrum channel in response tothe session completion message by transmitting a return to servicecommand associated with the spectrum channel to the base station.
 27. Aspectrum channel sharing system, comprising: a computer processorassociated with a first communication system; a computer memory devicecoupled with the computer processor; and a first channel managementserver application stored in the computer memory and executable by thecomputer processor to cause the computer processor to: receive a requestfrom a second channel management server of a second communication systemto clear communication traffic from a spectrum channel used by the firstcommunication system to support the communication traffic, where therequest includes an identification of the spectrum channel to be atleast partially cleared; and clear at least a portion of thecommunication traffic from the spectrum channel in response to therequest.